If you’re at all a fan of rum and want to get a better glimpse at how some of the best rum is made, you owe it to yourself to take the rum tour at the Travellers Liquors Heritage Center. It’s conveniently located along the Philip Goldson Highway in Belize City, Belize. And visitors to this local attraction get to learn about the history of one of Belize’s leading rum brands. Plus, they even get to sample some of those award-winning varieties.
A Brief History of Travellers Rum
While those taking the rum tour can get a much more in-depth breakdown of the company’s history, here’s a quick look.
Travellers Rum was started in 1953 by one Jaime Omario Perdomo Sr. (who was born just 12 years earlier). The brand rose out of “Don” Omario’s simple bar which often served mostly travelers.
Since then, the brand has become a household name in Belize. And the accompanying Heritage Center Museum has been serving Belize City as the perfect day tour experience.
The most well-known of Travellers’ products is easily its One Barrel Rum. And it is this particular brand that gets much of the attention on the museum’s rum tour.
Visitors at the heritage center get an inside look at the rich history and all the amusing stories of the company’s grounds. At the end of the tour, guests are treated to an amazing send off, being allowed to sample several varieties of spirits.
Touring the Travellers Heritage Center
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- Travellers Rum is aged inside imported whiskey barrels for 1, 3, 5, and 10 years.
The first thing you’ll likely notice upon entering the Travellers Heritage Center is that it feels like a museum. Many of the notable moments in the company’s history, like serving a bottle of rum to Prince Harry in 2012, are perfectly preserved. Other features include a vintage capping machine, used to seal the quality of bottled rums, and a massive iron pot that was used in the rum making process. Plus, guests can get a behind-the-scenes glimpse of the entire production process, via a massive window of glass.
Photo by the Belize Tourism Board
The next stop on the tour is the dark aging room. This one facility was repurposed from the “Jack Daniels” company. In total, it stores up to 2,000 white oak barrels of rum. The smell of those white oak barrels blends with notes of warm caramel, hitting your nose the moment you enter the storage facility. This is an area with dim lighting, just enough to allow workers to operate while minimizing any degradation of the liquor as it ages.
Afterwards, learn about the effects of aging. Travellers’ rums are are aged for 1-, 3-, 5-, and 10-years, each time span having a palpable effect on the final product.
Get to Sample Local Products at the End of the Rum Tour
At the climax of the rum tour lies the moment everyone in the know looks forward to: the sampler. In addition to varieties of Travellers rums, guests also get the chance to try libations like Rumpopo. It’s a Christmastime treat that will remind many of eggnog. They can also try Gifiti Bitters, a form of bitters invented by the Garifuna people that features rum-saturated roots and herbs.
Guests can expect to leave the Travellers History Museum rum tour with the following:
- A better grasp of the company’s history and awards.
- A great mood thanks to the many samples of rum and rum products offered by Travellers and One Barrel Rum.
- A basic education in the art of Belizean cocktail creation.
- A chance to purchase vintage editions of rum and rum products from the gift shop.
Travellers’ head office is located at the same address as the Heritage Rum Museum and shares the same operating hours. The facilities’ opening hours are from 8 a.m. until 5 p.m. Special tours are sometimes offered at other times, though.
Travellers is responsible for many notable Belizean products. That includes several different vintages and ages of rum. One batch even aligns with 1981, the year that Belize gained full independence from the British Crown.
Whether you love rum, want to grab a drink while you learn a bit about a Belizean brand, or happen to be with someone else who is, do yourself a favor and sign up for this iconic rum tour.
Featured Photo courtesy Travellers Liquors.
